Apparatus and method for filling LPG vehicle with LPG

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for filling a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) vehicle with LPG may include an auxiliary chamber disposed in an LPG bombe of the LPG vehicle, an auxiliary injection line branched from a fuelling line extending to the LPG bombe from a fuel inlet port for connection to the auxiliary chamber, a solenoid valve mounted in the auxiliary injection line to selectively allow or block a flow of LPG to the auxiliary chamber, a temperature sensor to detect a temperature in the bombe, and a controller to control the solenoid valve to be opened when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is equal to or higher than a critical temperature.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No.10-2016-0071499 filed Jun. 9, 2016, the entire contents of which isincorporated herein for all purposes by this reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for filling aliquefied petroleum gas (LPG) vehicle with LPG. More particularly, to anapparatus and method for filling an LPG vehicle with LPG, capable ofeasily filling a bombe with LPG by reducing the temperature and pressurein the bombe using an auxiliary chamber, which may be temporarily filledwith cold fuel, when the pressure in the bombe for storing LPG is higherthan a filling pressure.

Description of Related Art

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a process of filling an LPG vehicle generallyincludes a step of operating a filling pump 2 of a gas station, a stepof sending LPG to a filling gun 3 from an LPG reservoir 1 of the gasstation by the operation of the filling pump 2, and a step of filling anLPG bombe of the vehicle with LPG by the LPG filling pressure of thefilling gun 3.

Referring to FIG. 2, an excess flow valve 16, which is connected to afuel inlet port 14 of the vehicle through a fuelling line 15, is mountedto the inlet of the LPG bombe 10, and a fuel pump module 18 for sendingfuel to an engine is disposed inside the bombe 10.

Accordingly, the bombe 10 is filled with LPG through the fuel inlet port14 and the excess flow valve 16 from the filling gun of the gas station.

However, the filling of LPG may be impossible when the pressure in theLPG bombe of the vehicle is higher than an LPG filling pressure in thehot season during which the outside temperature rapidly rises.

That is, when the pressure in the LPG bombe of the vehicle is higherthan the LPG filling pressure, a check valve included in the excess flowvalve is not opened. For this reason, it is impossible to fill the LPGbombe with LPG from the filling gun.

For example, as the pressure (e.g. 16.5 bar) in the LPG bombe of thevehicle becomes higher than the LPG filling pressure (16.3 bar=8.3 bar,which is the pressure in the LPG reservoir of the gas station, +8.0 bar,which is an LPG pumping pressure depending on the operation of thefilling pump) of the filling gun in the hot season in which theatmospheric temperature is equal to or higher than about 40° C., thecheck valve included in the excess flow valve is not opened. For thisreason, it is impossible to fill the LPG bombe with LPG from the fillinggun.

The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section isonly for enhancement of understanding of the general background of theinvention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form ofsuggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to aperson skilled in the art.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Various aspects of the present invention are directed to providing anapparatus and method for filling an LPG vehicle with LPG, capable ofeasily filling an LPG bombe of a vehicle with LPG by installing anauxiliary chamber, which may be temporarily filled with cold fuel, inthe LPG bombe, and reducing the temperature and pressure in the bombethrough heat exchange between the auxiliary chamber and the LPG bombe,when the pressure in the LPG bombe is higher than the LPG fillingpressure of a filling gun.

According to various aspects of the present invention, an apparatus forfilling a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) vehicle with LPG may include anauxiliary chamber disposed in an LPG bombe of the LPG vehicle, anauxiliary injection line branched from a fuelling line extending to theLPG bombe from a fuel inlet port for connection to the auxiliarychamber, a solenoid valve mounted in the auxiliary injection line toselectively allow or block a flow of LPG to the auxiliary chamber, atemperature sensor to detect a temperature in the bombe, and acontroller to control the solenoid valve to be opened when thetemperature detected by the temperature sensor is equal to or higherthan a critical temperature.

The auxiliary chamber may include a flange part disposed in a mountinghole formed in the bombe, a heat exchange chamber extending into thebombe from the flange part, and an airtight cover attached to themounting hole of the bombe in which the flange part is disposed.

A check valve may be mounted to an end of the heat exchange chamber forthe LPG to selectively flow into the LPG bombe from the heat exchangechamber.

The auxiliary chamber may be made of an aluminum material having thermalconductivity.

The temperature sensor may be mounted to a fuel pump module disposed inthe bombe.

According to various aspects of the present invention, a method forfilling an LPG vehicle with LPG may include i) detecting, by acontroller, a temperature in an LPG bombe, ii) supplying, by thecontroller, LPG from a fuelling line to the LPG bombe, when thetemperature in the bombe is lower than a critical temperature, iii)supplying, by the controller, the LPG from the fuelling line through anauxiliary injection line to an auxiliary chamber disposed in the LPGbombe, when the temperature in the bombe is equal to or higher than thecritical temperature, iv) performing, by the controller, heat exchangebetween the auxiliary chamber filled with the LPG and an inside of theLPG bombe, and v) supplying, by the controller, the LPG from thefuelling line to the LPG bombe, when the temperature in the LPG bombe isdecreased below the critical temperature through the heat exchange.

In the ii) supplying LPG from the fuelling line to the LPG bombe, asolenoid valve mounted to the auxiliary injection line may be controlledto be closed.

In the iii) supplying the LPG from the fuelling line through theauxiliary injection line to the auxiliary chamber, a solenoid valvemounted to the auxiliary injection line may be controlled to be opened.

In the iii) supplying the LPG from the fuelling line through theauxiliary injection line to the auxiliary chamber, the LPG supplied tothe auxiliary chamber may be a fuel having a temperature lower than thetemperature in the LPG bombe, and is supplied from an underground LPGreservoir of a gas station.

In the v) supplying the LPG from the fuelling line to the LPG bombe, theLPG bombe may be filled with the LPG in the auxiliary chamber.

It is understood that the term “vehicle” or “vehicular” or other similarterms as used herein is inclusive of motor vehicles in general such aspassenger automobiles including sports utility vehicles (SUV), buses,trucks, various commercial vehicles, watercraft including a variety ofboats and ships, aircraft, and the like, and includes hybrid vehicles,electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-poweredvehicles and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g., fuel derived fromresources other than petroleum). As referred to herein, a hybrid vehicleis a vehicle that has two or more sources of power, for example, bothgasoline-powered and electric-powered vehicles.

The methods and apparatuses of the present invention have other featuresand advantages which will be apparent from or are set forth in moredetail in the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, andthe following Detailed Description, which together serve to explaincertain principles of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view schematically illustrating a process of filling anliquefied petroleum gas (LPG) vehicle according to the related art.

FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a filling apparatus for an LPG vehicleaccording to the related art.

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a filling apparatus for an LPG vehicleaccording to various embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating an auxiliary chamber of thefilling apparatus according to various embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the auxiliarychamber of the filling apparatus according to various embodiments of thepresent invention is installed in an LPG bombe.

FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are views illustrating the operation of the fillingapparatus for an LPG vehicle according to various embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a filling method for an LPG vehicleaccording to various embodiments of the present invention.

It should be understood that the appended drawings are not necessarilyto scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of variousfeatures illustrative of the basic principles of the invention. Thespecific design features of the present invention as disclosed herein,including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations,and shapes will be determined in part by the particular intendedapplication and use environment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of thepresent invention(s), examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings and described below. While the invention(s) willbe described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments, it will beunderstood that the present description is not intended to limit theinvention(s) to those exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, theinvention(s) is/are intended to cover not only the exemplaryembodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalentsand other embodiments, which may be included within the spirit and scopeof the invention as defined by the appended claims.

FIG. 3 illustrates a filling apparatus for a liquefied petroleum gas(LPG) vehicle according to various embodiments of the present invention.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 10 refers to an LPG bombe mounted in an LPGvehicle.

An excess flow valve 16, which is connected to a fuel inlet port 14 ofthe vehicle through a fuelling line 15, is mounted to the inlet of theLPG bombe 10, and a fuel pump module 18 for sending fuel to an engine isinstalled inside the bombe 10.

Accordingly, the bombe 10 is filled with LPG through the fuel inlet port14 and the excess flow valve 16 from a filling gun of a gas station.

However, when the temperature and pressure in the LPG bombe of thevehicle are increased in the hot season during which the outsidetemperature rapidly rises, and the pressure in the bombe is higher thanthe LPG filling pressure of the filling gun, the filling of LPG may beimpossible.

Therefore, various embodiments of the present invention has been made inview of the above problem, and are aimed at facilitating filling of thebombe with LPG by reducing the temperature and pressure in the bombeusing an auxiliary chamber, which may be temporarily filled with coldfuel, when the pressure in the bombe for storing LPG is higher than afilling pressure.

The auxiliary chamber 20 is disposed in the LPG bombe 10 mounted in theLPG vehicle.

In more detail, the auxiliary chamber 20 includes a flange part 22placed in a mounting hole 12, which is formed to have a stepped shape inthe bombe 10, and a heat exchange chamber 24 which extends to the insideof the bombe 10 from the flange part 22, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and5. The auxiliary chamber is preferably made of an aluminum materialhaving high thermal conductivity.

The heat exchange chamber 24 may be preferably formed in various shapes,such as a straight hollow tube or a zigzag tube, in order to secure aheat exchange area suitable for the inner volume of the LPG bombe.

In addition, a check valve 26 is mounted to the end of the heat exchangechamber 24 of the auxiliary chamber 20 in order to allow LPG to flowonly into the LPG bombe 10 from the heat exchange chamber 24.

Accordingly, after the heat exchange chamber 24 is inserted into thebombe 10 through the mounting hole 12 of the LPG bombe 10, the flangepart 22 is placed on the outer peripheral portion of the mounting hole12. Subsequently, an airtight cover 28 comes into contact with theflange part 22, and a bolt penetrates the cover 28, the flange part 22,and the bombe 10 so that they are fastened to one another. As a result,the installation of the auxiliary chamber 20 to the bombe 10 iscompleted.

In this case, an auxiliary injection line 30 branched from the fuellingline 15 penetrates the airtight cover 28, and the end of the penetratedauxiliary injection line 30 is connected to the auxiliary chamber 20such that the auxiliary injection line 30 communicates with theauxiliary chamber 20.

In more detail, the auxiliary injection line 30 is branched from thefuelling line 15, which is connected between the fuel inlet port 14 andthe excess flow valve 16 mounted to the inlet of the LPG bombe 10, andis connected to the auxiliary chamber 20 through the airtight cover 28so as to communicate with the auxiliary chamber 20.

In addition, a solenoid valve 32, which is opened or closed by theswitching control of a controller 34, is mounted to the auxiliaryinjection line 30.

Accordingly, the solenoid valve 32 serves to allow or block the flow ofLPG from the fuelling line 15 via the auxiliary injection line 30 to theauxiliary chamber 20.

Meanwhile, a temperature sensor 36 for detecting the temperature in thebombe 10 is mounted to the fuel pump module 18 installed in the bombe10, a signal indicative of the temperature in the bombe 10 detected bythe temperature sensor 36 is transmitted to the controller 34, and thecontroller 34 controls the solenoid valve 32 such that the solenoidvalve 32 is opened when the temperature detected by the temperaturesensor 36 is equal to or higher than a critical temperature.

Hereinafter, the operation of the filling apparatus for an LPG vehiclehaving the above configuration according to various embodiments of thepresent invention will be described.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are views illustrating the operation of the fillingapparatus for an LPG vehicle according to various embodiments of thepresent invention. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a filling methodfor an LPG vehicle according to various embodiments of the presentinvention.

First, the temperature in the LPG bombe 10 is detected.

The temperature in the bombe 10 is detected by the temperature sensor 36mounted to the fuel pump module 18 in the bombe 10, and a signalindicative of the detected temperature is transmitted to the controller34.

Next, the controller 34 compares the current temperature in the bombe 10with a critical temperature (S101).

When the current temperature in the bombe 10 is lower than the criticaltemperature (e.g. 44° C.) as a result of the comparison, the controller34 controls the solenoid valve 32 to be closed (S102).

In other words, when the current temperature in the bombe 10 is lowerthan the critical temperature, the pressure in the LPG bombe 10 isdetermined to be lower than the LPG filling pressure of the filling gun.Thus, the controller 34 controls the solenoid valve 32 to be closed.

Accordingly, the bombe 10 is easily filled with LPG through the fuelinlet port 14 and the excess flow valve 16 from the filling gun of thegas station (S103), and at the same time the fuel flowing to theauxiliary injection line 30 from the fuelling line 15 is blocked by theclosing of the solenoid valve 32, as illustrated in FIG. 6.

On the other hand, when the current temperature in the bombe 10 ishigher than or equal to the critical temperature (e.g. 44° C.), thecontroller 34 controls the solenoid valve 32 to be opened (S104).

That is, when the current temperature in the bombe 10 is higher than orequal to the critical temperature, the pressure in the LPG bombe 10 isdetermined to be higher than the LPG filling pressure. Thus, thecontroller 34 controls the solenoid valve 32 to be opened.

In this case, when the pressure in the LPG bombe is higher than the LPGfilling pressure, the check valve included in the excess flow valve isnot opened, and it is thus impossible to fill the LPG bombe with LPG.

Thus, the state, in which the bombe 10 is not filled with LPG throughthe fuel inlet port 14 and the excess flow valve 16 from the filling gunof the gas station, is maintained, and the LPG flows to the auxiliaryinjection line 30 through the fuelling line 15 from the filling gunwhile being supplied to the auxiliary chamber 20 through the openedsolenoid valve 32 (S105), as illustrated in FIG. 7.

In this case, the LPG supplied to the auxiliary chamber 20 temporarilystays in the heat exchange chamber 24, since the pressure in the LPGbombe 10 is higher than the LPG filling pressure in the heat exchangechamber 24.

Meanwhile, since LPG is supplied to the auxiliary chamber 20 from theunderground LPG reservoir of the gas station, the LPG has a temperaturelower than the current temperature (e.g. 44° C.) in the LPG bombe, andthe LPG stored in the underground LPG reservoir is typically maintainedat about 20° C. even in the hot season.

Accordingly, heat exchange is performed between the low-temperature(about 20° C.) LPG, which is supplied to the heat exchange chamber 24 ofthe auxiliary chamber 20, and the heat present in the interior space ofthe LPG bombe 10, so that the temperature in the LPG bombe 10 isdecreased below a critical temperature after a certain period of time(S106).

As such, when the temperature in the LPG bombe 10 is decreased below thecritical temperature, the pressure in the bombe is decreased below thefilling pressure of the LPG filling gun (S107).

Thus, when the pressure in the bombe becomes lower than the fillingpressure of the LPG filling gun, the bombe 10 is easily filled with LPGthrough the fuel inlet port 14 and the excess flow valve 16 from thefilling gun of the gas station (S108).

In addition, when the temperature in the LPG bombe 10 becomes lower thanthe critical temperature due to heat exchange through the auxiliarychamber 20, the controller 34 controls the solenoid valve 32 to beclosed again (S109).

As described above, when the pressure in the LPG bombe becomes higherthan the LPG filling pressure of the filling gun in the hot season(summer time) or the like during which the outside temperature rapidlyrises, cold LPG (LPG stored in the underground reservoir of the LPGstation), having a temperature lower than the temperature in the LPGbombe is supplied to the auxiliary chamber 20 installed in the LPG bombe10, so as to reduce the temperature and pressure in the bombe throughheat exchange between the auxiliary chamber 20 and the LPG bombe 10.Consequently, it is always possible to smoothly fill the bombe with LPG.

As is apparent from the above description, various embodiments of thepresent invention have the following effects.

When the pressure in an LPG bombe becomes higher than an LPG fillingpressure of a filling gun in the hot season (summer time) or the likeduring which the outside temperature rapidly rises, cold LPG (LPG storedin the underground reservoir of an LPG station), having a temperaturelower than the temperature in the LPG bombe is supplied to an auxiliarychamber installed in the LPG bombe, so as to reduce the temperature andpressure in the bombe through heat exchange between the auxiliarychamber and the LPG bombe. Consequently, it is always possible tosmoothly fill the bombe with LPG.

For convenience in explanation and accurate definition in the appendedclaims, the terms “upper” or “lower”, “inner” or “outer” and etc. areused to describe features of the exemplary embodiments with reference tothe positions of such features as displayed in the figures.

The foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention have been presented for purposes of illustration anddescription. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously manymodifications and variations are possible in light of the aboveteachings. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in orderto explain certain principles of the invention and their practicalapplication, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to make andutilize various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, as wellas various alternatives and modifications thereof. It is intended thatthe scope of the invention be defined by the Claims appended hereto andtheir equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for filling a liquefied petroleumgas (LPG) vehicle with LPG, comprising: an auxiliary chamber disposed inan LPG bombe of the LPG vehicle; an auxiliary injection line branchedfrom a fuelling line extending to the LPG bombe from a fuel inlet portfor fluidic connection of the fueling line to the auxiliary chamber,wherein the LPG is supplied into the LPG bombe through the fuellingline; a solenoid valve mounted in the auxiliary injection line toselectively allow or block a flow of LPG from the fueling line to theauxiliary chamber; a temperature sensor to detect a temperature in thebombe; and a controller to control the solenoid valve to be opened whenthe temperature detected by the temperature sensor is equal to or higherthan a critical temperature, wherein the LPG flows to the auxiliaryinjection line through the fuelling line from a filling gun while beingfilled to the auxiliary chamber, when the solenoid valve is opened bythe controller.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the auxiliarychamber comprises: a flange part disposed in a mounting hole formed inthe bombe; a heat exchange chamber extending into the bombe from theflange part; and an airtight cover attached to the mounting hole of thebombe in which the flange part is disposed.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2,wherein a check valve is mounted to an end of the heat exchange chamberfor the LPG to selectively flow into the LPG bombe from the heatexchange chamber.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the auxiliarychamber comprises an aluminum material having thermal conductivity. 5.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the temperature sensor is mounted to afuel pump module disposed in the bombe.